Sword Art Online: Sealed Sentiment
by ArrowedSword
Summary: Kirito and Sinon test a new use of VR by request of Kikuoka. Hooded players are PKing the New Aincrad Floor Clearers, preventing progress. Avoiding conflict, Kirito and co. decide to challenge a dungeon for a legendary bow and meet a player with a familiar tattoo. Are these events related and where will they take Sinon and Kirito who have been growing closer? Post Mother's Rosario
1. Chapter 1 - Bow and Sword

Sword Art Online: Sealed Sentiment

_I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters. The series is solely the property of Reki Kawahara and his publishers._

**Author's Note**

This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm glad I started my fanfiction journey with writing a story for Sword Art Online. The idea for this story started with me wanting to find a way to get Kirito and Sinon to become a couple and a whole stream of ideas came out as a result. I have tried to remain faithful to the universe of Sword Art Online while writing this fanfiction. Every Sword Art Online volume until the end of Mother's Rosario is canon for this story. If this fanficiton goes well, I plan to write my take on the Alicization Arc based on what happens in this story.

I wrote the first chapter of the fanfiction and plan to complete the story that I summarized earlier. I believe by the end of the story, I will have justified a Sinon and Kirito pairing with Kirito and Asuna inevitably breaking up. You'll have to stick around to see how it happens!

The title for this story is "Sealed Sentiment" meaning "feelings that are locked away." This is a theme that will be present throughout the story. Without further ado, we'll begin a new/alternative story in the world of Sword Art Online.

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><p><em>April 11, 2026<em>

_Nerzan Mining Cave_

Chapter 1

I let out a battle cry as I parried the downward swing of the adamantium mining pick of a «Nerzan Orc Miner» in front of me with my black sword. Our weapons met with a clang as the sound reverberated off the walls of the mining cave. The humanoid monster grunted in dissatisfaction and raised its mining pick once more with its muscular ashen gray arm. Given this opening, I leaned my body and arm into the motion to activate my signature Sword Skill, «Vorpal Strike». A survivor of SAO would be able to recognize me as «The Black Swordsman» even in my Spriggan form if they saw me using my favored Sword Skill.

In Alfheim Online, elemental attributes were added into the damage from Sword Skills. For example, the Sword Skill, «Savage Fulcrum», a three-hit combo skill, would deal a certain amount of damage based on where it hit a monster, how hard it was swung, and numerous other factors. Once the base damage is calculated the amount is divided so that fifty percent of the damage is Physical and the other fifty is ice. From there, based on the target's weaknesses and resistances, the overall damage would be adjusted accordingly.

My blade glowed a dark violet and became smothered in white and purple flames. The Sword Skill, «Vorpal Strike», did both fire and dark damage in addition to the normal physical damage of a regular attack. The skill system guided my body, lunging me towards the vulnerable left side of the orc. The tip of my sword sank into the monster's virtual flesh, leaving a glowing red holographic pattern at the point of entry in place of gore. The flames from my blade burned the surrounding area of the flesh that I struck turning it black. The slight smell of burnt flesh flowed into my nose. Shortly afterwards, the HP bar on the side of the monster's head became empty, leaving the defeated enemy to disintegrate into a shimmering mass of glasslike polygons which floated upward, fading away in the dim interior of the cave my party and I were in.

The use of the Sword Skill left my body in a stunned state, the drawback to using such powerful techniques. As I stood in the middle of the cave, another orc came running towards me with its pick held high over its head.

I was surprised to see the monster because my party and I were currently exiting the cave, having met our material quota. The previous orc was one we skipped in order to reach the deep part of the cave which was one of the best farming spots for killing these monsters. That was where we started our competition to see who could kill the most orcs. This particular one must have just respawned.

With the Sword Skill Delay still being in effect, I was in no position to react to the orc that was using both its huge arms to swing down its pick towards my head at full force. More than likely, a blow from a monster of its strength would leave me at critically low health.

My party members would probably take care of my Remain Light if my HP did hit zero, but that would be an all too embarrassing scenario because I ended up running ahead to increase my kill count.

The black sword in my right hand shook as I tried to fight through the delay, but to no avail. The head of the mining pick was mere inches from my head when I heard a swoosh fly past my head.

It seems she made it after all. The orc which previously tried to attack me was flat on its back from falling backwards, resulting in a thud. I saw an arrow lodged in between its eyes, a critical area. The same glass polygon effect from earlier also appeared from this orc's defeated form.

A white transparent notification window popped up in my view half a meter from my face. It indicated that the loot the defeated monster dropped was given to Sinon. Well there was no surprise there. The arrow that killed the orc and saved me from a critical situation could only have been fired from Sinon, the cool Cait Sith sharpshooting archer.

Sinon was an irreplaceable ally and close friend that I made last December. We met after Kikuoka, a supposed member of Japan's Virtual Divison, asked me to investigate the murders that took place due to the «Death Gun» incident. By working together, Sinon and I took down «Death Gun» during the «Bullet of Bullets» tournament in Gun Gale Online, linking him to the PKing guild from Sword Art Online, «Laughing Coffin».

The leader of this guild was a player by the name of «PoH». He argued that because the system in SAO allowed other players to harm each other, it was acceptable to do so. If players really died after the game was over, then the killings would just be blamed on the person who trapped us in that death game, Kayaba Akihiko. There was no way I agreed to such a ludicrous statement. Even if Kayaba Akihiko was responsible for the real world deaths of players that did not excuse the fact that «Laughing Coffin» and other PKers made a conscious decision to kill fellow players.

That guild of murderers became such a problem in SAO that the Clearers, including myself, Asuna, and Klein, held a raid on the «Laughing Coffin» hideout. This was a battle where over thirty players between the Clearers and «Laughing Coffin» actually died, two of which were slain by my own hand. The raid resulted in the imprisonment of the remaining «Laughing Coffin» members, among those were two of the people responsible for the murders associated with «Death Gun», Shoichi Shinkawa, player name «XaXa» and Atushi Kanemoto, player name «Johnny Black». Those two met in real life and worked with Sinon's former friend, Kyouji Shinkawa also Shoichi's brother and planned out the «Death Gun» murders.

Sinon and I met on bad terms in Gun Gale Online but she agreed to partner up with me during the final round of the «Bullet of Bullets». Together we solved the mystery of «Death Gun» and the murders. The Shinkawa brothers were arrested and «Johnny Black» is still in hiding, but shouldn't be a bother anymore according to Kikuoka.

The «Death Gun» incident has since been put behind us while Sinon and I have become very good friends. It was partly due to her that I was able to accept my actions of killing three «Laughing Coffin» members.

Before our final battle against «Death Gun», she told me that she had killed a person who tried to rob a bank in her defense of her mother. She killed someone at the age of eleven, an age much younger than when I took lives of three people with my sword in that death game.

Having similar experiences, I could relate to her traumatic experience of killing someone. She wanted to move past that moment in her life by finding a strength she believed I had. I told her it wasn't strength that made me move forward, but the fact that there were people I had to protect despite being afraid of what I've done.

If anything, Sinon was the strong one. She had the strength to keep going despite her past experiences and she was able to move past being betrayed by Kyouji Shinkawa, her former friend who tried to kill her during the «Death Gun» incident. Yes, Sinon was one of the most strong-minded people that I've had the pleasure of knowing.

With the «Death Gun» incident being behind all of us, I've been hoping that would be the last we see of «Laughing Coffin». I've been feeling a bit of unease that «Johnny Black» still hasn't been found, but Kikuoka has assured me that there is nothing to worry about and that he won't be able to hide forever. However, there would always be the question of what the former leader of that guild «PoH», could be plotting. , ,

Thunk!

I felt a hit to the back of my head. Due to the pain absorption system in ALO, it was only a slight irritation, but the unexpected sensation combined with my head being pushed down surprised me.

"Ouch!" I let out.

"Hey, Kirito," that cool and harsh voice came from Sinon, the Cait Sith Archer's mouth.

"Don't go ahead of us like that. You almost got yourself killed. Becoming a Remain Light would be a huge inconvenience to Asuna since the revival spell incantation is a pain to recite."

She would not be merciful in response to my reckless behavior, but I had a way of countering her.

Yank!

I reached my hand around her back and took a hold of her blue slim and silky tail, giving it a firm pull.

"Ah!" she let out an unexpected soft moan while turning red in her cheeks. This was a far more extreme reaction than usual. Perhaps I pulled too hard? Part of me actually wanted to see what would happen if I kept pulling, but I restrained myself because she would definitely punish me severely if I did anything more. Also, I don't want to imagine what Asuna's reaction would be if I continued to tease Sinon in this manner.

"I thought I told you to stop messing around!" Sinon, who was still red in the face, raised her hand again, preparing to smack me on the head once more. I jumped forward to dodge her hand, but she continued to pursue me leading us to running around in small circles as I tried to outrun her strikes. The final member of our three-person party arrived to witness this comedic scene in its full glory.

"Kirito-kun," Asuna slowly started with a hint of anger, "what exactly are you doing with Sinonon?"

Sinon finally stopped chasing me and I faced Asuna, the blue-haired Undine who was nicknamed the «Berserk Healer». She had quite the murderous look on her eyes for someone who was my girlfriend. Asuna would act this way when I get too friendly with the girls among our group. For the most part, she has used these performances as ways to keep me in line.

"It's just his typical teasing," Sinon calmly stated.

"Yeah, nothing more than the usual," I laughed as I scratched the back of my head.

Asuna sighed and continued, "Speaking of the usual, when are you going to stop going ahead of us? You were almost killed here. Luckily for you, Sinonon boosted herself with Speed Magic to catch up and save you. Actually, Sinonon, why didn't you boost me too?"

"Well," Sinon started to brush the back of one of her cat ears located at the top of her head, "I figured Kirito was looking for monsters to kill by himself because we were tied in our contest for the most kills. Speaking of which," the archer shot me a devilish grin, "That last kill means we're tied again. And I can bet you that if another shows up, I'll shoot it before you can kill it with your sword."

"Oh yeah," I could sense a challenge from Sinon. True, if we spot the next monster at the same time, she would more than likely get the kill before me. However, there was only one more monster spawn point left in this cave before we would reach the exit. If I could just reach that point, I would be able to defeat newly spawned orc miner before Sinon had a chance to respond.

"We'll see about that Sinon. It's a challenge!" With that said, I started sprinting towards the spawn point fifty meters ahead of us, sword in hand, Sinon and Asuna following behind.

"Geez, Kirito-kun!"

"Oi, hold up, you'll end up blocking my line of sight!"

I looked behind me and taunted Sinon with my free left hand by holding up a victory sign. As I turned my face forward again—

"Kirito-kun, watch out!" shouted Asuna.

What materialized in front of me was not the standard «Nerzan Orc Miner», but «Ro'Gall the Chief-Inspector». Significantly bigger than a normal orc miner, it was two and a half meters tall. In ALO, which used the Cardinal System, rare monster spawns would be generated which were considerably stronger than the normal monsters in the area. However, if a rare spawn such as this one was defeated, our party would be rewarded with high quality drops and in our party's case that would be an extremely rare metal.

The monster was a mere two meters away from me and I could make out that its weapons were orichalcum knuckles meaning that the orc would be using martial art type abilities. However, to my dismay it quickly fired a huge chunk of earth towards me as a spell. It would be pointless to roll out of the way because this was likely a homing spell that would follow me regardless. I had to use a Sword Skill to cut through the spell, in other words, the Outside System Skill, «Spell Blast».

My sword bursted out fire-red flames and I swung my sword straight through the middle of the chunk of earth using the «Vertical» Sword Skill. The delay for this skill wasn't as significant as the previous Sword Skill I used, but the orc came rushing at me right after the spell was fired, its right arm thrusting towards my head.

A thin silver rapier, which appeared from my right, glowed blue from the water type «Linear» Sword Skill and stabbed through the monster's left abdomen, causing the orc to end its swing and backpedal a few steps to recover its footing. Even though Asuna hit the enemy in what seemed to be a vital spot, the monster's HP was reduced to only ninety percent.

"We weren't expecting this, but as long as you get the last hit you'll win, right Kirito?"

I turned to Asuna, grateful that she was supporting me in the kill count contest and replied, "Yeah, thanks for the backup, Asuna."

Two arrows of ice were fired from our right towards the orc. Sinon probably moved to the side of the cave knowing that I would try to blind side her aim. The monster moved its head at an inhuman speed to evade the two arrows from the «Ice Volley» skill that was aimed at its face. One arrow completely passed by the orc, while the other lightly grazed its cheek. The foe had about seventy-three percent HP.

The orc looked in the direction the arrows were fired from, Sinon's location. She was a mere twelve meters away at the edge of the cave. I predicted that the monster was probably planning to dash towards Sinon using a Martial Arts skill to take advantage of the delay caused by her Skill. However, both of the orc's fist weapons began to glow a light brown as runic characters surrounded the beast's hands. It was using another spell.

"Asuna, let's go!"

"All right!"

We both dashed forward, surrounding the orc with Asuna on its left and me to its right. As we both swung our swords in unison at the monster's arms, it quickly jumped backwards and slammed both its fists into the ground, creating a fissure in the floor of the cave which reached Asuna and me.

From the cracks in the ground arose pillars of rock, which twisted and turned, wrapping Asuna and I into cages of earth that rendered us immovable. A rare spawn was capable of possessing this much of a overpowered spell? The Cardinal System integrated with the magic system of ALO was frightening indeed.

"Damn, I didn't think monsters could have this type of crowd-control ability," I said as I was struggling through the rocky restraints around me.

"It's too bad Yui-chan isn't here," remarked Asuna. Yui probably would have been able to warn us about what the spell was as soon as the orc's fists were glowing, but she was probably playing with Silica's pet dragon, Pina, at our Log House on Floor 22 of New Aincrad.

"Sinon, it's up to you now!" I yelled out.

The orc returned its attention to Sinon who switched to firing plain arrows, realizing that we would no longer be of use. While attempting to dodge the arrows, the monster ran towards Sinon at a frightening speed. During its run, the orc was hit on both legs and its side. The monster's health was reduced to forty percent.

When the orc was a mere meter away from Sinon she did something Asuna and I would never have expected. She wouldn't be able run away from the fast monster and "kite" it, shooting arrows while gaining distance from her foe. Recognizing this, she used a system in ALO known as «Quick-Switch» allowing her to switch out her bow for a sword with the simple motion of pretending to hold a sword with her right hand.

Her bow disappeared and went into her inventory while a dull gray sword appeared in her hand. As the orc approached her at the edge of the cave, its left hand glowed brown, starting another skill. The skill was aimed at Sinon's right, which Sinon evaded by kicking off the wall behind her and using the momentum to launch her body to the monster's wounded right side.

As she passed the side of the orc, she also swung the sword in her right hand across the beast's side, dealing more damage than usual due to the arrow grazing the same spot earlier. Thirty percent HP.

The orc turned around after it recovered from impacting the wall of the cave with its skill, leaving behind an imprint of its fist weapon into the cave wall. Its right hand started to glow and a chunk of earth materialized in front of it and was fired straight towards Sinon. That was the same earth type homing spell the orc used against me. Even though she surprised us with displaying that she possessed a one-handed sword, it was probably only used for situations like this one where she had no choice but to fight within melee distance. The only way to block a magic missile would be to use a high-level counterspell or to use a Sword Skill to cut the spell, with the Outside System Skill «Spell Blast». More than likely, she was going to get hit by the spell which would decrease her HP and cause her to stagger and become vulnerable to additional attacks.

However, I could make out a small smile on Sinon's face, akin to the expression she makes right before she snipes an enemy, knowing that her shot will end in a kill. I began to notice that her sword glowed a bright icy blue. She was going to use a «Sword Skill»? Wasn't this «Vertical Square»?

"Sinonon's able to?" Asuna said being unable to finish her question as she was struck speechless.

Sinon let the Sword Skill take control of her actions and the first slash of the four-hit combo sliced right through the chunk of earth that was launched at her. The split remains of the earth became encased in ice and fell to the ground. She's capable of performing «Spell Blast»? Even Asuna and Leafa had a hard time getting the timing down.

The second strike was a left to right swing which hit the orc's right leg, causing the monster to kneel on its left leg and bend forward. The third strike, went across the beast's chest, leaving behind ice crystals in on its torso. The final blow slashed through its face, gouging out its right eye and a crystallized frozen lump formed as an aftermath on the orc's face. An afterimage of a dazzling square of ice was left where the sword was swung during the skill while the monster's HP became zero. Glittering shards of glass-like polygons dissolved into the air in place of the orc due to its death.

"Sinonon, that was amazing!" Asuna said as our earthy restraints faded away, releasing us and enabling us to once again move freely. Indeed, what just transpired couldn't be described any other way. Sinon's display of swordplay was truly amazing. Not only has she mastered the use of the bow, but she's starting to get the hang of the sword. She's able to use two different weapon-types with their respective Skills and capable of casting Magic such as Speed Boost. A part of me felt threatened by Sinon's quick adaptability, but I was glad to have a partner with such strength. I'll have to think twice before teasing her again.

"Nice job, Sinon, you really surprised us there. You never told us that you were practicing with the one-handed sword." I said, sheathing my sword.

"There was never a need for me to use it previously. Also, I wanted to surprise everyone by entering the next ALO dueling tournament. BoB's not the only tournament I want to compete in." Sinon said with a wink while re-equipping her bow.

The deceased «Absolute Sword», Konno Yuuki, was enough of a surprise at the last one. If Sinon enters this time, that will be another tough opponent for me to fight. A part of me is nervous at the opportunity but also very excited to see how tough an opponent she'll be.

"Also," started Sinon, "that last orc brings me ahead by one in kills, which means I won our contest." The Cait Sith archer closed one eye and smirked. That's true, we were very close to the exit of the cave meaning that the previous rare spawn was indeed the last monster. Slowly my gamer pride was being taken away by Sinon who not only beat me in kills, but also displayed skill in «Spell Blast» which previously only I've been able to use with successful results. I was taken aback and choked up as I admitted my defeat.

"Heheheh," Asuna started to laugh, "Good job beating Kirito-kun, Sinonon. Kirito-kun and I had contests like that in SAO. He always ended up paying for my dessert as a result."

"Uoh, I guess he isn't as skilled as bearing the title of «The Black Swordsman» implies," Sinon remarked. Wanting to stop the teasing before it gets out of hand, I conceded.

"I concede. It's your win this time Sinon. However, if you're serious about entering the next dueling tournament, I'll be waiting." I pointed to my chest with my thumb and winked.

"Kirito-kun, don't make it sound like you're guaranteed to be in the finals. Yuuki-chan taught me «Mother's Rosario» which defeated you. Also, Leafa and Eugene aren't any laughing matters." Asuna responded.

"Then it seems I'll have to face a lot of strong opponents too," Sinon replied as she smiled.

Knowing Sinon, she'll take the dueling tournament as seriously as the BoB which meant I have to be on my guard. And as Asuna said, there will be many strong duelists there. The gamer in me was quivering in excitement, eagerly awaiting the dueling tournament that would take place during Golden Week.

Sinon started interacting with the monster drop window. "Oh, Sinonon! Did that rare spawn drop anything good?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, along with the high amount of gold I got a good amount of the adamantite we were farming earlier. Also, it dropped a high quality ore. It's named Oricalcum."

"Oricalcum?! Kirito, isn't that one of the materials that your current sword is made from?" Asuna questioned.

My current black sword was indeed from the same metal along with other materials to focus on my fondness for the Strength attribute my preference for a heavy sword. Actually, Liz would be able to make a sword that would rival mine with the ore Sinon acquired.

"Sinon, what are you planning to do with the metal? Liz could probably make that into a sword on par with my current one. Not Excaliber of course."

Excaliber was the strongest legendary sword in the game and currently in my possession. By mere coincidence the reason that our group of friends was able to obtain the sword is because while it was falling down into the depths of the dungeon, Sinon fired a returning arrow to retrieve the sword when we thought it was lost to us. Ever since then, I made a vow to never use Excaliber for personal gain. I still feel as though I owe Sinon a debt for retrieving the sword that I thought had fell out of my reach.

"If that's the case, then I'd like to have a better sword. It was tough hiding my sword skills and having to settle for low quality swords from quests and shops." Somehow her words reminded me of when I was trying to keep my «Dual Blades» skill hidden in SAO. The reason why she kept her skill hidden wasn't anywhere near as serious as when I hid mine though. No longer being in the death game that was SAO, my friends and I could focus on having fun while playing rather than trying to do everything possible to survive in an MMO turned into a survival game.

"Then it's settled!" exclaimed Asuna, grabbing Sinon's hand. "We'll give Liz the materials we gathered for her and ask her to make you a new sword with the Oricalcum."

Asuna started walking out of the cave while pulling along Sinon who looked back at me with her cat ears lowered, seeming slightly nervous. She was still a little shy from Asuna's outgoing personality. I could only smile back and started walking myself.

"Catch up, Kirito-kun!" Asuna shouted to me as she glanced back while running with Sinon in hand.

"Don't worry, I'm right behind you!" I replied as I broke into a sprint in order to start a race back to Liz's shop.

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><p><strong>Ending Note<strong>

Thank you for taking the time to read my first chapter in this fanfiction. I plan to update this story at least once a week so if you liked what you have read so far, know that there is more to come. Also, if would like to take the time to leave a review and give me feedback on the chapter, please do so. I want to keep improving as a writer and any criticism is welcomed. Please look forward to the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2 - Soul's Embrace

Sword Art Online: Sealed Sentiment

_I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters. The series is solely the property of Reki Kawahara and his publishers._

**Author's Note**

Hello again, I am pleased to release the second chapter of my story with much, much more being planned. Seeing as this is my first fanfiction, I could not be more honored by everyone who has followed and favorited this work so far. Knowing that at least one person is willing to read more of my content is truly a blessing.

I'd like to thank Insert Your Name Here, for reviewing and offering to look over my work for grammar mistakes and for his overall input on the flow of the story itself. Having an additional person giving me feedback before a chapter is published means that you, the readers, will have a better reading experience.

As you start to read through this chapter, you'll notice that instead of Kirito narrating the story in first-person, the chapter is being told in third-person. I'm using third-person for this chapter as a way to look into the thoughts and feelings of other characters. From here on out, there will chapters both in Kirito's perspective and the third-person. How often I use either style will be based on how I feel the content of a chapter could be best told.

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><p>April 11, 2026<p>

Lisbeth's Arms Shop

Chapter 2

"You guys got a hold of Oricalcum?!" Lisbeth the Leprechaun blacksmith exclaimed in astonishment as Sinon presented her with the high grade material while placing it atop the polished wood grain shop counter.

The interior of the store was well-lit by a combination of lighting crystals and various beams of sunlight peeking through the windows. The light brought out the gleam in the metals of the various weapons that were displayed upon the racks and walls of the shop. Different shields types which ranged from heavy square shields to thin magic resistant bucklers covered the wall behind Lisbeth. However, the shimmering pale green Oricalcum ore was the most glaring item in the store.

"We happened to encounter a rare spawn after we were done gathering the Adamantite you needed," Kirito started to explain. "By an odd turn of events, Asuna and I were constrained by a spell, leaving the monster to Sinon, who managed to kill the rare spawn using a Sword Skill."

"A Sword Skill?" Lisbeth remarked, her eyebrows rising in amazement. "Sinon, does that mean you used a sword—"

"Liz, we'll tell you everything that happened when we meet everyone back at the Log House, but yes, Sinonon did use a sword." Asuna suggested, cutting Lisbeth off.

Asuna wanted to tell Liz the amazing story of how Sinon used the Sword Skills she was hiding to defeat the rare spawn, but she held herself back understanding that it would be more efficient to tell everyone when they were all gathered at the cabin.

"Uun," Sinon nodded in agreement. "It will be easier to report what happened during our farming at the cabin rather than having you hear the same story twice."

Lisbeth shot out a slightly disappointed look and bit the bottom part of her lip.

"Well, I'm assuming you guys aren't just gifting this Oricalcum in addition to the Adamantite you were gathering for me," Lisbeth predicted, opening her right hand in a gesture, slightly disappointed that she won't be able to use the rare metal for her own purposes.

"Yeah, we were hoping that you could use that ore to create a new sword for Sinon," Kirito explained.

"A crafted sword would be more suitable than the NPC shop and quest reward swords I've been using while I was keeping my Sword Skills a secret," said Sinon.

She was never satisfied with the previous swords she used. The generic quest reward and item shop swords never felt just right to her. She adjusted to style of using swords over time, but she never felt she had a sword to call her own.

"Honestly, both you and Kirito are ridiculously similar," said Lisbeth, recounting Kirito's tendencies to hide his skills in SAO.

"First, he hides his «Dual Blades» and now you with your one-handed Sword Skills. Well, at least both of you came to me to craft your swords," she remarked, patting her forehead with her right hand, brushing aside some of her pink hair in the process.

"Kirito hid his skills as well?" Sinon questioned with a raised eye as she looked at Kirito to her right. The black-coated avatar still had many more secrets unknown to her.

"It's not really that I hid them, but rather didn't want to be bothered into explaining why I had one of the ten «Unique Skills» in SAO. I was already considered a 'Beater,'" explained Kirito. Many players in SAO had a distrust in Kirito who managed to be the top-level swordsman while playing mostly solo.

"Uoh, so does that mean I was bother, considering that I was the first person to find out about your «Dual Blades»?" joked Lisbeth, recalling how reluctant Kirito acted when Lisbeth asked why he insisted on getting both of his swords at an equal strength in SAO.

The pink haired blacksmith was actually very grateful to Kirito for revealing his «Dual Blades» to her first. His Unique Skill was a secret that was hers alone until he was forced to use the skill during his battle against «The Gleam Eyes». She always treasured the times that he would come to her shop in SAO to perform maintenance on both his swords, one of them being her creation, «Dark Repulser».

"No, of course not!" Kirito nervously let out, shaking his hands outward, "You weren't a bother at all. I'm very glad that you were the person that was the first to know. Without you making «Dark Repulser» for me, there would have been no way that I would be able to make it Floor 75 and defeat Heathcliff. I wouldn't want anyone else to have been my first." Kirito finished his sentence, a single strand of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

Lisbeth blushed at Kirito's awkwardly worded sentence and Asuna moved over to pinch Kirito's right ear.

"Kirito-kun," Asuna started to say, annoyed at Kirito's blunder, "don't you think you should word your sentences more properly? Someone might misunderstand."

Asuna would have no mercy on her boyfriend who unknowingly gets himself into similar situations when interacting with the other girls in the group. Kirito, not a master of reading into everyone's feelings, always had a rough time while dealing with the girls. He tries to keep everyone happy, but sometimes comes off as being too caring, sparking jealousy in Asuna.

"Uwah! Asuna, stop! That hurts!" yelled Kirito.

Sinon and Lisbeth both glanced at each other and smiled, laughing as Asuna reprimanded Kirito.

"So, Liz, I would be grateful if you crafted a sword out of the Oricalcum for me," Sinon pleaded as she bowed at Lisbeth.

"There's no need to be so formal, we're friends aren't we?" Lisbeth replied. Sinon held Lisbeth in high regard because she never had a friend that would always keep her weapons in prime condition. GGO mainly focused on a shop system for weapon modifications so the idea of a smith was still new to her.

"I'd be more than welcomed to make the sword for you since you guys went to all the trouble of gathering Adamantite for me. Besides, it's not everyday that I get to make something out of high grade material like Oricalcum." Lisbeth was truly excited to craft a weapon out of the rare ore, her eyes sparkling in spirit.

"Thanks a lot, Liz," Sinon said with gratitude.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Liz. You're always making upgrading and maintaining our weapons too," said Asuna who was always thankful for all times Lisbeth would work on her weapons in SAO as well as in ALO.

"It's no problem. Let's go to the back room so I can make this sword," Lisbeth said, motioning for the group to follow her to the room with her forge.

Lisbeth stood at the anvil with her hammer raised above her left hand which rested on the newly smelted Oricalcum bar.

"Now, Sinon, what kind of one-handed sword do you want? Kirito uses a heavy one-handed sword based on Strength. Alternatively, you could have a stat focus on Critical Rating and Agility like Asuna's rapier," Lisbeth explained.

A weapon in ALO has base stats such as Dexterity or Strength. Depending on the stats that a player chooses to focus on in their main equipment and character build, it would be more advantageous to equip items which all support a particular stat. A weapon's damage was based on its main stat, therefore, a character that used Dexterity equipment would benefit from a Dexterity weapon.

"If it's Sinon, she should probably focus on a sword that uses Dexterity and Agility because that would compliment the stats she has as an archer," Kirito thought out loud while crossing his arms.

"Yes, with my lower Strength stat I'm better off using my Dexterity and Agility stats to boost my sword's damage. If I'm going to enter the next dueling tournament, I'll need to beat my opponents with my speed and technique. I'd rather not use reckless brute force like someone else I know," Sinon directed at Kirito cooly.

"Surely, you're not talking about me!? That's just my style of fighting!" replied the Spriggan in shock.

Kirito had the habit of seeming as though he was possessed during his sword fights, often shouting and yelling while using reckless and strong movements that catch his opponent's off guard.

"Raging berserker style," Lisbeth nodded in agreement.

"That's certainly what Kirito-kun seems like when he fights," Asuna mentioned as she and Lisbeth started laughing while Kirito lowered his head in distress.

"All right, so that's a one-handed sword with a focus on Dexterity and Agility." Lisbeth declared energetically as she navigated through her crafting interface with her left hand.

"Oh, don't worry about the materials that I'll be using for the stat type. They're cheap and easy to get. Now then, let's get to crafting this!" Lisbeth exclaimed, beaming a smile as she began to work the metal on the anvil.

Asuna, Kirito, and Sinon watched as Lisbeth worked away her hammer on the bar of Oricalcum. After selecting the appropriate categories of weapon and stat types, all she needed to do was strike the metal with her hammer a number of times based on the quality of material.

Each time the hammer collided with the bar, sparks flew out from the point of impact and the bar glowed brighter and brighter. This process continued for about two full minutes. Sweat could be seen rolling down Lisbeth's forehead onto her cheeks. The by-products of her artificial perspiration reflected the glowing ore, making it seem as though her face was adorned with shining light green gemstones.

"Ah," Lisbeth quietly let out as the glowing bar's light intensified to a blinding point and started to change shape. The gleaming mass thinned and extended its shape into a long and slender one-handed sword. The illumination finally dissipated revealing a beautiful and elegant weapon.

The inner blade shone in a pale blue similar to the color of Sinon's hair. A translucent green glistened on edges of the sword which contrasted its dark green handle that was covered with a black wrapping grip which was decorated with gold accents.

"It's beautiful," Sinon expressed, captivated by the sight of the sword, its features mirroring in her sparkling blue eyes.

"This might be some of your best work Liz," Asuna noted, admiring Lisbeth's work.

Kirito's eyes flew between Sinon and the sword as he voiced out a comparison.

"The sword matches Sinon's appearance perfectly. It's almost as if the blade was made to compliment her avatar."

The sword did indeed match Sinon who wore a green and gold outfit. Along with her pale blue hair, the weapon and avatar were harmonized in colors.

"The sword was always going to be pale blue because of the stat focuses, but the rest of the appearance was random. I'm proud to say this turned out to be some of my finest craftsmanship yet!" Lisbeth proclaimed. She believed she hadn't made such a beautiful weapon sense she crafted «Dark Repulser».

"What's its name?" Sinon asked still marveled by the dazzling sword that laid upon the anvil. Similar to Sword Art Online, the names of crafted weapons were randomly generated, but the more powerful weapons would always have a unique name that could not be copied.

"Let's see," Lisbeth started as she poked the sword's handle with her left index finger.

A window popped up displaying the weapon's stats and the name of blacksmith who crafted it. The bold text at the top contained the name.

"I believe it's read as «Soul's Embrace»."

"«Soul's Embrace». . ." repeated Sinon, still in awe.

Lisbeth smiled and said, "Well, you can keep admiring my craftsmanship, but I really think you should pick it up now, Sinon."

She was delighted at the fact that Sinon appreciated her handiwork, but Lisbeth really wanted to see how the weapon would look wielded by its intended user.

"O-Of course!" spurted Sinon who was rarely flustered. She walked to the anvil and picked up the sword with caution using her right hand. As she held the sword, it seemed to melt into her palm as if the weapon's grip was made for her alone. She found the weight to be lighter than the generic quest sword she was using previously, but the weapon felt strong and alive. It was well-noted in books and movies that a sword should feel like an extension of one's arm, but to Sinon, this sword was an extension of her very being. It was if part of her soul was embraced by the weapon.

"The power of that sword is comparable to Kirito's black one. You should be able to kill any minor mob in Jötunheimr with a Sword Skill of your choice. Speaking of which, you should try using one," suggested Lisbeth as she put away her hammer and shut down her forge, not wanting to waste the materials to keep it burning.

"Good idea. Sinonon, let's move back into the first room where there's more open space," Asuna directed, eager to see how her fellow female swordsman could use her new weapon.

"Right." Sinon acknowledged as she sheathed her new sword onto her hip where her previous sword once rested.

The group of four relocated back into the open salesroom to watch Sinon. Asuna, Lisbeth, and Kirito leaned against a wall while Sinon stood in the middle of the room with her blade in hand.

"All right," Sinon said softly as she raised her right foot and lowered it back down to activate the «Vertical Square» Sword Skill. Just like her encounter against the rare orc spawn, the skill caused the sword to glow blue, only this time the glow was brighter and more vivid. The skill system was designed to guide a player's movement, but rather than the sword guiding her actions, Sinon felt her whole body become empowered by the sword and moved with her blade as one whole being. Sinon danced with her sword leaving behind a vibrant blue afterimage of a square that her four slashes created in the air. With the skill completed, Sinon sheathed her sword.

"Amazing! That was beautiful Sinonon!" said Asuna, impressed at Sinon's versatility after switching weapons.

"«Vertical Square» huh. I'm surprised you can use such a high level one-handed Sword Skill. You must have trained in secret a lot," noted Lisbeth, impressed by Sinon's skill. She was again reminded of Kirito who raised his «Dual Blades» in secret.

Kirito felt a sense of déjà vu and realized why the scene before him felt so nostalgic.

"Come to think of it Sinon, wasn't «Vertical Square» the skill I replicated when I first used the Photon Sword in GGO?"

Sinon, who purposefully used «Vertical Square» as her move of choice for that very reason, slightly blushed, a tint of red being expressed in her cheeks.

"That was the first Sword Skill that I saw, so naturally I wanted to learn it when I had chance," Sinon revealed, hiding the fact she wanted to emulate the move that her rival, Kirito used.

"Well, the skill and sword certainly fit you very well, Sinon," Kirito complimented, grinning. The Spriggan was truly entranced when he watched the Cait Sith dance with her new weapon.

"Thanks," Sinon said warmly as Asuna and Lisbeth looked at each other then pouted coldly at Kirito.

"What?" Kirito questioned unaware of the jealousy that was surfacing amongst the girls.

"Oh, nothing." Asuna and Lisbeth responded together, irked by Kirito's denseness.

The two girls knew that Kirito didn't mean to openly flirt with Sinon, but were nonetheless annoyed, especially Asuna.

"Anyway, we should get back to the Log House, everyone is probably waiting for us to come back," Kirito suggested, aware of the time and doing his best to avoid the tense situation with Asuna and Lisbeth.

"And you'll be able to tell us the whole story on how you guys got your hands on the Oricalcum. I'm looking forward to it, Kirito and Sinon," Lisbeth teased as she put herself between the two and rested her arms on their shoulders.

"R-Right," Kirito and Sinon hesitantly replied in unison.

Kirito, Asuna, Sinon and Lisbeth arrived at the Log House, Kirito and Asuna's player-home on Floor 22 of New Aincrad. Leafa and Silica were finishing their homework at the dining table while Yui and Pina slept together on Kirito's rocking chair. Klein, the Salamander katana-user, arrived minutes before Kirito's group. Agil was not in-game because he was working at his cafe.

Kirito and Sinon recounted the story of their ventures in the mining cave while the creation of Sinon's sword was told by Lisbeth who expressed great pride in her latest work.

"Geez," pouted Yui, the AI which was currently a navigation pixie and the adopted daughter of Kirito and Asuna.

"Papa is always getting into trouble. You should have taken me with you and Mama. I would have been able to warn you about the monster's crowd control ability," complained the pixie, obviously wanting to spend more time with her adoptive parents.

"I appreciate the thought, Yui, but I feel as though having you tell us everything about our opponents is an unfair advantage. Besides, we made it out okay because of Sinon," Kirito replied patting the pixie's head.

Kirito recounted a time when they faced a new boss in an ALfheim dungeon. Usually a dungeon group encountering a boss for the first time would be wiped out time after time as the players got used to the fight mechanics. However, Yui is able to look into the Cardinal System and analyze the workings of the encounter. The group easily took down the boss with the aid of Yui's instructions, but Kirito felt as though the authenticity of a boss fight was ruined as a result.

"We'll take you with us next time, Yui-chan," comforted Asuna who smiled lovingly at her adopted daughter.

"That's a promise!" exclaimed Yui who hopped onto Asuna's shoulder and sat down.

"It's a little frustrating that Sinon-san is growing strong enough to use a sword proficiently too. I thought that I would be able to at least best her at melee combat. It feels as though I'm becoming the weakest out of all of us," Silica frowned, her cat-like ears lowering in disappointment. She began to see her role in the group diminishing with another player who was adept at melee combat.

"Don't worry Silica-chan!" cheered Leafa, resting her hand on the Cait Sith's shoulder.

"You're still the strongest Beast Tamer around. Believing that you're weak would be an insult to Pina as well." The blue pet dragon flew onto the table where Leafa and Silica sat and rubbed its face against Silica's cheek. The twin-tailed girl started to smile and laugh.

"Besides!" announced Klein, who stood up from his chair and beat his chest, "If anything were to happen, I'd protect you Silica-chan!" The Salamander proudly smiled in self-satisfaction.

"And don't forget, you're definitely stronger than this guy, Silica," teased Lisbeth, chopping the top of Klein's head with her hand, sending the whole cabin into a fit of laughter.

"Oh," Leafa started to say, "Sinon-san, could you show us your sword?"

Sinon was leaning her back against the wall near the dining table where everyone was congregated.

"Of course," said Sinon who got up and unsheathed her weapon, holding it vertically and displaying its shining pale blue and green image. She gently smiled, happy to have an excuse to behold the sight of her beloved new weapon once more.

Those who had not yet seen the sword were entranced by its brilliance.

"How is it? My crowning achievement as a blacksmith?!" bragged Lisbeth.

"It's beautiful!" answered Silica. "Liz, how come you can't make a weapon as pretty as that for me?" The dagger user's eyes were filled with envy.

"Well if you can get your hands on some Oricalcum, I'd be happy to make a similar dagger for you," Lisbeth admitted, wanting to craft more high level weapons.

"There's no way I have enough money to buy that! And I'm not strong enough to kill any monsters that could drop it." Silica frowned in displeasure, knowing that a higher quality dagger was out of her reach.

"Don't worry Silica, if we happen to get our hands on any more Oricalcum we'll make sure you know," assured Kirito wanting to comfort the youngest the girls.

"Well, okay. Thanks, Kirito," Silica recovered, her mind set at ease.

Sinon put away her sword with care after everyone was finished admiring the beauty of her blade.

"You look like you're already used to your new weapon, Sinon-chan," Klein observed seeing Sinon's attachment to her new weapon.

"Yes, this sword feels as though it has become a part of me like Hecate is to me in GGO." Sinon didn't mean to say that she didn't appreciated her finely crafted bow, but she could identify herself with the sword more, despite preferring a ranged style of combat.

"Is that so? I wonder how good you are with that sword after accomplishing what you did with a generic one in that cave," noted Klein who by his own right was a fairly experienced swordsman from his days of using a katana in SAO. He was the most respected out of all katana-users having mastery of the skill and being the leader of the «Fuurinzakan» guild.

"That gives me an idea!" Asuna exclaimed, standing up.

"Sinonon, would you please spar with me? We could show everyone how good you really are with a sword. It would also be a good way to get used to your new weapon."

Sinon, who always felt grateful to Asuna for accepting who she was and becoming her friend could not easily turn the offer down. She also wanted to gauge the strength level of the opponents she would face in the upcoming dueling tournament.

"All right. Let's do it," Sinon replied.

Everyone started to become excited to see the upcoming spar and got up from their seats.

"Then let's head out to the lakeside view outside the cabin for the duel," directed Kirito, curious to see the outcome of the match.

The party gathered around a flat open area of grass by the lake which was adjacent to the Log House. They made a semi-circle around Asuna and Sinon to watch the sparring.

"The rules are as follows. Whoever lands the first clean hit will win the match. Is that acceptable with the two of you?" questioned Kirito who oversaw the match.

"Yes." the two blue haired avatars replied together. Asuna brought up the duel request window and set the rules, while Sinon followed by accepting the terms on her navigation menu.

The number "3" floated above the heads of Asuna and Sinon who both had their weapons drawn and stood four meters apart. Tension started to rise between the two duelists. Asuna was in her rapier stance, standing straight with her left hand on her hip and her weapon extended outwards which was gripped in her right. Sinon stood with bent knees and her left arm held out while leaning the right side of her body forward with her sword in her right hand.

"Ready, Sinonon?" asked Asuna.

"Of course," the pale blue haired girl confirmed.

Sinon and Asuna gave each other hard gazes, confirming that they would both fight with their full strength.

"Onii-chan, aren't they a little too tense for a friendly match?" questioned Leafa who noted the two's focused stares.

"It's fine. If you were in their position, wouldn't you also want to fight your friend with all of your might? Personally, I would be offended if my opponent felt the need to hold back."

The number "2" appeared as the countdown lowered.

"I guess that's true. You never want me to hold back during our kendo matches, but you always get your butt kicked," Leafa added in, laughing.

"T-There's no need to mentioned that," Kirito replied, embarrassed.

Kirito struggled to wield kendo blade properly after being accustomed to his own style of fighting after his time in SAO. When he fought against Leafa he would hold his kendo blade in a similar vein, but his body was incapable of recreating his fast and strong movements that he could accomplish in VR, leading to many embarrassing losses due to reckless moves.

"1"

"Pay attention, Papa! Mama is going to be battling!" exclaimed Yui who sat on top of Kirito's head, eyes widened in eagerness to see her mother in action.

"Duel Start!"

Sinon kept a defensive stance as Asuna leapt forward and activated «Linear», her rapier glowing blue from the effect and lunging towards the lower-left part of Sinon's breastplate. Despite the inhuman speed that the Sword Skill gave Asuna, Sinon was able to sidestep to her right and avoid the attack. The downtime from a single strike Sword Skill would be short, but Sinon used this opportunity to swing her sword diagonally from the upper right at Asuna's unprotected left.

Asuna managed to pull her rapier back in time to parry the blow, her weapon meeting Sinon's sword inches away from her neck. Sinon pulled her blade downward causing Asuna's weapon to veer to the Cait Sith's right. She then moved her blade upwards towards Asuna's right. The rapier wielder jumped backward avoiding the strike.

"Nice one, Sinonon, you almost got—"

Asuna was cut off when she saw that Sinon activated the «Sonic Leap» skill, causing the cat-eared swordswoman to jump toward her at a blinding speed. Sinon's blade glowed white with wind energy, ready to strike downward from her right shoulder. Asuna was astonished at her opponent's fierce ferocity.

At such a thunderous speed, Asuna would not be able to block the blow with a standard swing of the sword. She activated «Neutron», a five-hit combo skill filled with the power of holy light. Her rapier glowed bright gold and the first strike was thrusted towards Sinon's incoming blow, brushing «Soul's Embrace» to Asuna's side as the attack failed to connect, canceling the Skill.

Asuna had four strikes left to her Sword Skill which would be a series of flashing thrusts. The first, headed straight for Sinon's right abdomen, but between Sinon's high Agility stat and keen eyesight, a trait from being a Cait Sith, she was able to parry the blinding blow with her sword in time. Her continuous training against monsters' Sword Skills was also no joke. The remainder of Asuna's three thrusts went towards the middle of Sinon's chest, the left side of her stomach and her left shoulder. Sinon parried the three strikes in a similar manner. The Sword Skill traced a golden"w" across the space in front of Sinon's body illuminating her breastplate.

"Wow, that was an amazing block!" commented Silica off to the side.

"Hee hee. I guess I don't need to sell her a shield," joked Lisbeth.

Due to the mental concentration required to accomplish such a feat, Sinon lowered her sword in weariness while Asuna was in the state of delay. The Undine fencer was far more formidable than any enemy monster's AI. Nevertheless, Sinon activated the «Vertical Square» Sword Skill and her blade of glowing ice slashed four times toward Asuna who managed to parry each blow despite the speed and intensity of the new sword and its wielder, a result of seeing the skill countless times in Sword Art Online.

"As expected of the sub-leader of the «Knights of the Blood»," mentioned Klein, scared of Asuna's terrifying skill in the rapier.

The last of Sinon's skill ended, leaving a square outline of crushed ice on the ground. Being careful not to set foot on the ice, Asuna declared that her next move would end the match.

"This is the final attack, Sinonon!"

Asuna wasn't losing composure, but was surprised by Sinon's current strength. She felt that she should answer Sinon's resolve with her strongest skill.

Instead of the usual rapier stance, Asuna held her weapon like a one-handed sword as a violet light emanated from her blade.

Yuuki, let's introduce another friend to the world of swords. She was going to activate the eleven-hit combo Original Sword Skill, «Mother's Rosario».

"That's—" Kirito spurted out in surprise, closely watching the match.

Sinon fixated her eyes on the gleaming sword alone, knowing that she needed to focus her entire being into avoiding a clean hit. The first five strikes of the skill came at Sinon in the shape of a star. She managed to parry three of the hits and dodge the other two between her blocks. The second set of the star shaped blows were not as forgiving.

Sinon was able to completely parry the first two blows and avoid the third by leaning to the right, but the fourth and fifth hits scraped her breastplate as she only could redirect the strikes elsewhere due to her fatigue. However, she believed could still win the duel. Asuna had yet to land a clean hit.

Sinon became comfortable, thinking that she would definitely be able to land a blow because of the long delay Asuna would suffer from using such a high combo skill. She did not know that the Sword Skill would have a final eleventh hit.

"It's not over yet, Sinonon!" Asuna yelled out.

It came as a shock to Sinon. The glow of Asuna's weapon shined more intensely, and traveled straight into the chest of an exhausted Sinon. The Cait Sith was not able to move out of the way or parry with her sword in time. Asuna's blade stuck into the right side of Sinon's breastplate, a deep holographic red gash appearing as a wound. Sinon witnessed the strength of one of ALO's strongest duelists firsthand.

The message "Winner, Asuna!" was displayed above the heads of the two duelists.

"Wow! That was amazing you two!" shouted Leafa who walked over with the rest of the group towards Asuna and Sinon.

"Yeah, but I lost," sulked Sinon who blamed herself for not expecting a final eleventh blow. She failed to anticipate her opponent's movements, a skill associated with a sniper like herself.

"You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would. Asuna was the top rapier-user in SAO for two years," admitted Klein who was genuinely surprised that Sinon was able make Asuna falter in the duel.

"It's all right, Sinonon," started Asuna who reached out her hand to Sinon.

"You had me on the ropes there. I had to resort to my best move to defeat you." Asuna told the truth as she wondered how powerful Sinon could become if she was already this formidable with a sword. She would more than likely be ALO's most complete player, excelling in both long ranged and close combat fights.

"Don't you think using Yuuki's ultimate skill is a bit too much for Sinon's first duel?" questioned Kirito despite telling Leafa that Sinon and Asuna need to fight each other at full strength. He thought that using a skill that defeated even him was far too much for a first match.

Sinon remembered the name Yuuki. That was the name of the girl that Asuna befriended over the spring. Asuna and Yuuki met when rumors of a player called «Absolute Sword» went around ALO. She was a player who was strong enough to best the likes of Kirito. Sinon knew that Yuuki died of a terminal case of AIDS, which left a lasting impact on Asuna who became very close to her. The fact that Asuna was willing to use Yuuki's ultimate skill on Sinon in her first duel honored her.

"No, I'm glad that she fought me with her full strength," Sinon replied as she shook Asuna's hand.

"I'll have to face similar Sword Skills if I plan on entering the dueling tournament."

"I suppose that's true," Kirito agreed, seeing that Sinon was fine with the result.

"Hey, Sinon, if you're planning on training for the dueling tournament, I could spar with you as well," offered Leafa who became energized with a desire to duel after watching the intense battle.

Leafa, who was also a strong swordsman would offer a great deal of experience to Sinon, still new to dueling against strong opponents.

"I'd appreciate it, but I think I need a little breather after that first one," Sinon said, visibly fatigued as virtual sweat rolled down her face.

"How about we all take turns sparring while we help Sinon train?" suggested Kirito.

Similar to Leafa, his sister, he felt inspired to duel after watching Sinon and Asuna.

"Good idea! We'll start with you and me, buddy!" exclaimed Klein wanting to face Kirito, his number one rival.

"All right. Brace yourself, Klein. I've been wanting to test out a new Original Sword Skill," smirked Kirito as everyone gave Klein and him space to duel.

"Bring it on!" yelled Klein, challenging the Spriggan.

The gang continued to hold duels between themselves for around half an hour, enjoying the time they spent exchanging blows and seeing the new Sword Skills they've learned and developed. Sinon's match with Leafa in particular could've gone either way, but in the end Leafa was able to end the duel with her Original Sword Skill, «Striking Gale».

The last match of the day was Sinon versus Klein. Sinon was in the process of using her «Vertical Square» against the red-haired Salamander. The katana-wielder parried the first three strikes and Sinon leaned her body to direct the last strike towards Klein's legs. Klein stepped backward to avoid the blow and said,

"All right! Here's one of my more powerful attacks!"

His sword glowed red and became engulfed in flames as he activated the three-hit combo katana Sword Skill, «Scarlet Fan». The skill directed his body forward and he took a step towards Sinon in front of him. Klein would show the new sword-wielder the power of the highest level katana user from SAO. Perhaps then, the others would begin to think highly of—

"Uowah!" screamed out Klein who fell backward after slipping on the remnants of ice left from Sinon's previously used Sword Skill.

The Salamander lay flat on the ground as Sinon advanced and looked down at him with a faint smile that gave him chills, extinguishing the fire from his Sword Skill. The katana-user's plans to gain respect amongst the group were crushed cold.

"You planned this out as soon as you used «Vertical Square» didn't you?" questioned Klein.

"Yup," Sinon firmly replied as she stabbed Klein in the leg, giving her the win.

"Winner, Sinon!"

"Oh man!" Klein shouted into the sunset sky of Floor 22, becoming the laughingstock of the day.

The group reconvened into the Log House after the comedic result of the last match.

"Sinon, If you really want to make a splash during the dueling tournament you should probably make an Original Sword Skill. Asuna was able to counter you easily because she's seen «Vertical Square» countless times. You'll catch people by surprise with a skill of your own. I'm sure this guy over here could help you with that." Lisbeth advised as she nudged Kirito in the arm as he sat in his rocking chair.

"Yeah, I'd be more than willing to help you with that. Remember, it's very difficult to make a Sword Skill though. You'll have to be able to emulate the speed and power of a skill without the assistance of the system to record and register the skill," warned Kirito, aware of the struggles of making Original Sword Skills, spending whole gaming sessions during the process of creating his own.

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to it," replied Sinon with ears lifted, keen to make a Sword Skill of her own for her new sword.

"Huh, that's strange," Leafa interjected as she was looking at a message on her game window.

"What is it Leafa-san?" questioned Silica who sat beside her at the dining table.

"Recon says that there's a party of players who are PKing all the groups that are trying to challenge the Boss on the current floor." Leafa's friend, Recon, would contact her if he heard any interesting rumors that are floating ALO.

The floors of New Aincrad were being released five floors at a time. The players of ALO have currently cleared up to Floor 32 and were in the process of preparing to fight against the boss.

"It's probably a guild that wants to clear the boss first, but doesn't have all the necessary equipment and people in order to do so," Kirito mentioned, clearly used to the concept.

"Didn't that kind of thing happen on Floor 19 as well?" questioned Silica who remembered fighting the Salamanders while she along with Kirito's group went to challenge the Floor Boss.

"Yeah, the Salamander players were really confused as to why Klein was fighting against them," Asuna laughed, reliving the memory in her mind.

The top players among the Salamander players including General Eugene formed a raiding group to challenge Floor 19, but Kirito and his group planned to tackle the boss fight themselves, already aware of the basic mechanics of the fight due their previous experience in SAO. When Klein revealed himself amongst Kirito's party, the Salamander players were surprised because Klein often joined them for dungeons and territorial wars with the other races.

"Well, you were the ones that I was planning on clearing the floor with. I don't always have to keep to starter race pride," defended Klein stating his dedication to his friends.

"So other players actually stop the progression of the game so they can be recorded as the first to down a boss?" questioned Sinon who wasn't used to hard-core raiding in MMO's. She mainly quested and did PvP in GGO and had only done a few dungeons with Kirito and the others.

"Yeah, this is a common thing in MMO's with guilds and raid encounters. Having your guild name displayed for all to see as the first people to defeat a boss gives you a special feeling of pride. It's similar to seeing your name on the BoB rankings," Kirito explained.

"I see," Sinon nodded, understanding the pleasure one could gain from seeing amongst the leaderboards.

Sinon glanced at her lower left as she noticed the current time in the real world. She noticed that it was getting late and noted that she should rest soon because she had plans to wake up early the next morning.

"Oh, it seems that I'll need to log out soon. I'm planning on waking up early tomorrow."

"That's right, you're coming to our house to exercise with onii-chan and see our dojo," remembered Leafa, lifting up her index finger. Kirito and Sinon have been exercising together from the start of the week as part of a job given to them by Kikouka which involved real body simulation in VR.

"You two are still exercising together? How long are you guys going to do this as part of your job for that Chrysheight fellow?" asked Lisbeth who never had a good impression of Kikuoka's ALO avatar. Like Asuna, she was suspicious of his character ever since the Death Gun incident which endangered Kirito's life.

"It's a process that'll take a few months, but Sinon and I intend to keep exercising afterward. It's become a habit now and I can honestly say I feel a lot better than I did when we first woke up from SAO," Kirito revealed to the group.

He had only started their exercise plan, but Kirito was happy that he decided to take up the job with Sinon. He felt better about his body and he enjoyed Sinon's company. She shared a similar interest in action movies and they often talked about VR and where it could be headed. Kirito was glad to have a friend who was also very interested in VR development.

Lisbeth looked suspiciously at Kirito while Sinon got the clue that she was probably going to tease him about their relationship. Wanting to avoid such a situation, Sinon promptly said her good-byes.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," she directed to Kirito and Leafa.

"Bye, everyone. Good night."

"Night!" the group replied in unison.

Sinon pressed the "log out" button on her window, causing her avatar to fade from the Log House.

"As I was saying, Kirito. You and Sinon have been spending a lot of time together," Lisbeth said as she poked Kirito in the chest.

"Well, isn't that natural, seeing as we're both being employed by Chrysheight?" Kirito stood up from his chair and replied to Lisbeth without losing composure.

"But you're planning on spending more time with her even after you're done with your jobs," Lisbeth reiterated. Kirito looked away for a second and walked over to where Asuna was sitting with Yui and laid his hand on Asuna's shoulder.

"Like I said, exercising has become a habit. You could join us if you want. Asuna has once." Kirito countered, intending not to fall prey to another one of Lisbeth's traps.

"Yeah, it was fun running with Kirito-kun and Sinonon," Asuna stated.

Asuna joined them partly because she wanted to see what Kirito and Sinon did together when they exercised and she felt bad for doubting Kirito afterwards. However, she did enjoy the time she got to spend with them. She didn't get many chances to spent time with Kirito in real life because she lived far away from him.

"Eh, I'm not really the exercising type," admitted Lisbeth.

"Oh, that's no good Liz. You won't be able to keep a good figure if you don't exercise. Even I try to keep fit on occasion," lectured Silica innocently.

"What's that?" Lisbeth turned her attention to Silica and grabbed her chest from behind with both her hands. Silica panicked and screamed in response.

"I don't want to hear that from someone that needs to add some weight in certain places," Lisbeth added, punishing Silica by rubbing Silica's chest.

"All right! I'm sorry, Liz! Please let go!" Silica squealed in frustration, the scene looking like an owner disciplining one's cat.

Not worried over a common occurrence, Kirito patted Yui on the head and kissed Asuna on the forehead.

"I'll be getting off as well. I need to make sure the dojo is clean. Good night, Yui. Good night, Asuna."

Asuna leaned forward and kissed Kirito on the cheek, returning her love.

"Good night, Kirito-kun."

"Good night, Papa!" said Yui, who hugged Kirito's neck before going back to Asuna's shoulder.

"I'll see everyone tomorrow!" Kirito said in farewell, logging out.

"Night!" responded the rest of the group.

"How come Kirito always gets all the attention?" complained Klein. "I'm here too." Klein, who worked long hours in the real world could never catch a break when trying to impress the girls in the group.

"Well, you see, Kirito didn't lose any of his duels today. Also, who was it that tripped and fell in the middle of one?" Lisbeth joked, the scene still fresh in everyone's minds.

"Okay, I get it," Klein admitted defeat, lowering his head.

"But Sinon really takes after Kirito's resourcefulness. They really are more similar than they seem," noted Klein as he thought about his duel with Sinon.

"So you can notice things like that too?" responded Lisbeth, impressed by the Salamander's observation.

"Of course I can! I'm not completely hopeless you know?"

"Sinon-san and Kirito-kun really do seem close," added Silica, also wary of the close bond Sinon and Kirito seemed to share.

"Doesn't that worry you a little bit, Asuna?" questioned Lisbeth who noticed that Sinon and Kirito shared something that no one else had. However, she didn't know exactly what that was.

"There's no way that Papa would betray Mama!" Yui exclaimed, pointing her finger at Lisbeth, defending her parent.

"Of course onii-chan wouldn't, Yui-chan," Leafa confirmed as she rubbed Yui's cheek. Leafa experienced Kirito's love and dedication for Asuna firsthand when Asuna wouldn't awaken even after SAO ended. There was no way the same Kirito would betray that love.

"Kirito-kun is too good of a person for me to imagine him hurting Asuna," Silica agreed.

What Asuna didn't know is that Lisbeth and Silica, shortly after Asuna awakened after the events of her imprisonment in ALO, made a pact to not make a move on Kirito for a month in support of their her. However, during the course of that month, both of them saw how close Kirito and Asuna were and knew that they couldn't come between them despite the feelings they had towards Kirito.

Everyone knew and accepted that the love between Asuna and Kirito was a bond that could not be broken.

"There's nothing to worry about. Kirito-kun and I couldn't be any more happy together. Also, Sinonon wouldn't do anything to hurt me," affirmed Asuna who believed and trusted Kirito and Sinon with all her heart.

* * *

><p><strong>Ending Note<strong>

Hopefully, you guys enjoyed that chapter. This time the story was more dialogue intensive. I hope I was able to capture the essence of all the characters and give them all a fair amount of screen time. It's truly a struggle to manage this many characters in the scenes as they all converse among themselves.

The next chapter will take place in the real world so there won't be as much action as there has been in the previous two chapters. However, as I have stated in the summary, there will be plenty of action when Kirito and his group challenge the dungeon for the legendary bow. Not to mention what will happen with the group of Pkers that I have hinted in this chapter.

My goal is to release a new chapter every week, but I don't want to make any guarantees because things may pop up in life and delay the releases. At most, a chapter will take two weeks. I do plan on completing this story. I've planned out the outline and sequence of events of the story, so understand that I'm not simply writing as I go.

Once again, please leave any feedback or suggestions you may have in a review and I'll take them into consideration as I write the rest of my story. Look forward to the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3 - Project Simulation

Sword Art Online: Sealed Sentiment

_I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters. The series is solely the property of Reki Kawahara and his publishers._

**Author's Note**

Hey everyone, it's probably long overdue that this chapter is released and I apologize. I stated last chapter that I planned to release a new chapter every week or two weeks at the latest, but it has been a little over three weeks for this chapter. I won't make excuses, but I will say that I had some trouble finding the time to write this chapter and think out the events presented in it. I do plan on finishing this work as whole, but the estimated time for newer chapters should be around two weeks or more. Of course, this depends on the length of the chapters and for the most part, I think the way I have planned it so far is leading to chapters of about 7,000 to 9,000 words each.

This chapter takes place in the real world so don't expect any action scenes this time. The majority of this chapter takes place with Kirito recounting his and Sinon's first day of their new job. I start progressing the relationship between Kirito and Sinon and introduce some plot elements along with some new characters. Hopefully you'll enjoy the new original characters I created. I had a tough time trying to find Japanese names that were memorable, yet simple.

I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

* * *

><p><em>April 12, 2026<em>

_Kawagoe Station_

Chapter 3

Despite the fact that it was early Sunday morning, the subway station of my home district, Kawagoe, was still decorated with hurried businessmen, alongside families and friends who were most likely headed towards one of the more populated shopping districts in Tokyo. I wore a thin black jacket, but the frigid wind of April morning still found its way to brush against my skin, giving me a slight chill.

I'd much rather be inside the station where I'm protected from the cold air, but I could not abandon the motorbike I positioned just outside because I had no parking spot for my vehicle. I stood next to the station with my hands in pockets, protecting myself from the cold as I leaned against my bike.

I was waiting for my close friend, Shino Asada, who would arrive at this station, our agreed upon meeting spot. From that point, I would drive her to my house where we decided to do our exercises since she was interested in seeing my family's dojo.

After what happened yesterday, I certainly saw the connection between her apparent interest in swords and our family dojo which specialized in kendo. There was no doubt that was the reason why Sinon asked to come to my house.

As I waited for her outside the station on my bike, I thought back to how we acquired our jobs which required us to exercise regularly in the first place. Just like the incident with Gun Gale Online, it all started with a call from that man, Seijirō Kikuoka.

"_Oh, Kirito-kun, I know you've been ignoring my messages and calls, so I appreciate that you at least answered this time," _ Kikuoka's voice cracked out of my phone speakers as I was sprawled out on my bed during a Sunday morning, a mere day after Yuuki's funeral.

It was slightly true that I was ignoring his calls and e-mails, but that was because I considered it disrespectful to have my attention distracted while Yuuki's funeral was happening yesterday. Asuna treated her like a little sister so I couldn't dishonor her feelings during the day we honored Yuuki's short life.

Nevertheless, I did read the messages Kikuoka sent me and I was very intrigued by what he was offering, suspicious as I was about the self-proclaimed public servant.

"I couldn't answer yesterday. I was busy attending the funeral of an important friend," I explained.

"_Oh, you're talking about Yuuki-chan aren't you? That was truly an unfortunate case. Thankfully due to the Medicuboid, she was able experience—"_

"I don't need your sympathy, Kikuoka," I said, cutting him off. "The person most affected was Asuna. If you want to offer your condolences, you should tell her instead."

"_Eh, but I'm not particularly good with Asuna-san. Would you be able to give her my regards in my stead?" _Kikuoka's tone, reminiscent of an old friend, was starting to annoy me.

"Sure, but enough with the small talk. I've read your messages. You've barely given me any specific information on this 'new development' in VR technology. How do you expect me to accept your job offer?" I let out my frustrations in an interrogative tone.

All the Virtual Division government worker had told me was that he was looking for people to test a new development in VR technology. Supposedly, the goal for this project was to create more realistic environments and a better synchronization with VR avatars. The details of what I would be doing as a tester or what they meant by "better synchronization" had not been disclosed.

"_Ah, so you are interested, Kirito-kun. I'd be glad to tell you more about the job if you could join me in the usual restaurant at 2 PM." _

The usual restaurant was a diner that specialized in very expensive beverages and desserts. I prefered the cozy feel of Agil's cafe, but Kikuoka insisted on treating me to the finer cuisine of the classy diner .

"Why not just tell me all the specifics by phone or e-mail?" I asked. Every time I would go to that restaurant I felt like an outsider when I compared myself to the high class regulars.

"_I'd rather talk about this sensitive information with you face-to-face. Don't you miss my real-life appearance?"_

To be honest, his in-game avatar appearance was more than enough for me.

"_Also, Asada-san is interested in this job as well." _Sinon was contacted too? That meant that this project was big enough to require multiple testers. Knowing that made me feel rather comfortable when compared to the solo job as I was given when I had to investigate the Death Gun rumors in Gun Gale Online.

"_She's agreed to meet with me at the restaurant at the same time. Not to mention, she's expecting you to be there as part of a joint-request. I'd prefer to have both of you for this job. Still interested, Kirito-kun?"_

I was caught in a little trap. I couldn't betray Sinon's expectations if she agreed to hear out the job request. There was also the fact that I was very interested in this VR development, vague as the information was at the time.

"Fine, I'll be at the restaurant at two. I'm expecting some answers."

"_I'm glad you're looking forward to it, Kirito-kun. We'll talk again with Asada-san at the diner." _

After the call ended, I got out of my bed and dressed into my black jacket and jeans. I contacted Sinon and after a bit of discussion, we decided that I would pick her up on my motorbike after she took a train to the nearest station within the restaurant's vicinity. As we rode my bike to the restaurant, I asked Sinon why she was interested in the job. She told me she was looking for a job to make some money, but she was also lured by the concept of a new VR development; reasons that were similar to mine.

We arrived at the diner and saw Kikuoka waving to us as we made our way to his table and took our seats. Kikuoka wore his usual dark business suit and Sinon wore a white-tie-front sweater over a black tank-top along with a black skirt and leggings. We were seated in a manner resembling the time when the three of us met after the «Death Gun» incident. Sinon sat at my left while Kikuoka was seated across from both of us.

A waitress came up to our table as the government worker addressed us.

"Since the both of you made your way here, you might as well order something, my treat of course. You know the drill."

Sinon and I were used to ordering at this high-class diner already. If Kikuoka was going to treat us to an expensive place such as this, we might as well be inclined to accept the offer.

"All right, I'll take the coffee cake and an iced vanilla latte," I worded out. Plain as the order may seem, the price went well above twenty-thousand yen, more money than I would ever spend on a meal, let alone a dessert and a drink. Thankfully, I wasn't paying.

"Then I'll have a slice of strawberry shortcake and an iced coffee," Sinon told the waitress. Getting our selections out of the way, Sinon and I were quick to get information out of Kikuoka.

"So," I began with arms crossed, "now that we're both here, would you mind telling us the specifics of this new VR development along with the job offer?"

Kikuoka adjusted his glasses and unlocked the tablet that was placed beside him by placing his hand on the screen. His fingers navigated to a folder marked as "Project Simulation."

"Of course. I'm obliged to tell the two of you why I've referred you both as testers." I understood he wasn't being as deceiving or cryptic as per usual, the reason being that he was in the company of Sinon. It was a lot easier to get what you want out of him when there was a girl around.

"Let me start by giving you the basis for this project which we'll call Simulation." Kikuoka picked up his tablet and showed us pictures of our avatars in ALO, the Spriggan swordsman and Cait Sith archer.

"With our current Full Dive technology we are able to put people into the bodies of virtual avatars that can be controlled as if they were your own body. As you are aware, the Amusphere intercepts the signals sent between your brain and the rest of your body to make this happen."

"That's true, but this is common knowledge. Where are you going with this?" I voiced.

"Patience, Kirito-kun. this is just the beginning of what we call a true Full Dive."

"A true Full Dive?" Sinon asked while in thought, a furrow appearing on her brow. What did he mean by a "true Full Dive?" Was the current Full Dive system incomplete?

"When I say a true Full Dive, I don't mean to say that there is anything wrong with the way the Amusphere currently works to synchronize the user to an avatar. The company and project I'm representing is focusing on true simulation of the user's body in a virtual environment."

True simulation? Did that mean that the aim of the project was to put the user's real body into a virtual environment rather than a put the user in an avatar's body?

"When you say 'true body' do you mean integrating our actual bodies in a simulated space?" I questioned.

Kikuoka smiled and slid his finger across his tablet unveiling a picture of what looked like an ALO status screen next to a player avatar.

"Yes, in a sense, the project's aim is to be able to completely emulate the user's body in a virtual environment. In a game such as ALO, the user's capabilities are based on their stats. The higher their strength, the stronger they feel; the higher the agility, the faster they can be."

"So rather than have someone's physical ability decided by programmed parameters, the project is supposed to use the true physical capabilities of the user's body?" questioned Sinon.

When putting it that way, I realized current technology had not really reached what Kikuoka called a "true Full Dive." The way my body felt in the real world was truly different from what I felt in SAO and ALO where I had high strength and dexterity stats. In-game, I felt as if I could accomplish many feats that would be impossible to replicate in real life such as running up walls and lifting huge boulders.

"Exactly," started Kikuoka, "the supporters of this project are interested in this particular application for military and medical use. A person's actual physical ability being replicated into a virtual reality would have many uses in combat-training simulations as well as therapy. . . Oh, thank you for the food."

The waitress came back with our orders and set them on our table. I could smell the aroma of my dessert without bending over. The strawberries in Sinon's cake had a shine that tugged at my stomach. We were certainly in for a treat, courtesy of Kikouka's tax dollar spending. After Sinon and I thanked our waitress, we began to dig in as Kikuoka continued talking.

"Now that you have the background for the job, allow me to explain what you would be doing as a tester. For the most part, you will be testing out virtual environments while using modified Amuspheres."

As I heard his last statement, my hand froze while I lifted my fork to place a chunk of my coffee cake into my mouth. Kikuoka waved his hand around, attempting to wipe away my worry.

"Don't worry, Kirito-kun, the modification isn't dangerous at all. Additional hardware and software are being inserted to gauge your real physical abilities and implement them into the virtual environment. Your job will be reporting on the accuracy of how your capabilities are being represented."

I thought back to my first time experiencing a Full Dive; I was beta testing SAO. I created my avatar and controlled it directly with my body, creating a sense of immersion within gaming that was never thought possible. Swinging a sword for the first time truly felt like wielding the weapon. However, it would be a lie to say that the real me would have been capable of emulating my avatar's habit of effortlessly using heavy swords in games.

When I first used a sword in SAO, I was surprised that it wasn't as heavy as I thought it would have been. There was a certain feeling of disconnect between my real world body's capabilities and my avatar. Over time, I became used to my character's abilities, but this project sought to truly recreate a person's real abilities in the virtual world. I was truly intrigued by the concept. The next step to true immersion in the virtual world was coming to fruition.

"Well, Kikuoka, I have to say, I'm actually very interested in this project. I think being able to help Virtual Reality take its next step would be a surreal experience," I stated.

Taking on this job would not only benefit me financially, but I would gain some valuable experience as I plan to go to university in order get a degree in pursuit of a job related to the VR industry.

"I'm glad you think so, Kirito-kun," the government worker said with a sappy grin on his face. "But what about you Asada-san?"

Sinon, who was mostly listening and eating her dessert, seemed rather anxious to accept his offer as well. Maybe it had something to do with how she once projected herself into another personality through Sinon the sniper in GGO. The way she used a game to combat her fear of guns as a type of therapy was another applicable use of Virtual Reality.

"Kikuoka-san, I'll also accept your offer, but I have to wonder, why me and Kirito? I imagine there would be many other candidates for testing besides us," Sinon asked sipping the rest of her iced coffee.

I also questioned why Kikuoka pursued and recommended us to help test a project of this caliber. I imagined that this type of research would be directed to professional testers who have formerly worked on projects such as the Nerve Gear.

"We do have some professional testers working with us, but we also wanted to select a pool of people who feel a strong sense of reality within Virtual Worlds like SAO and ALO," Kikuoka explained.

"Does that mean there are other former-SAO players being hired?" I asked, wondering if I would meet someone I knew in Aincrad.

"That possibility certainly exists, but I'm not the only person who they have hiring testers for the project. As I was mentioning, you and Asada-san are special in the sense that you respectively identify yourself as swordsman and sniper in the Virtual World. The sense of immersion both of you experience benefits us because your minds and bodies are extremely adaptable to VR."

I understood the logic given by Kikuoka considering I was the SAO player gifted with the Unique Skill, «Dual Blades», specifically for the reason of having the fastest reaction time in the game. That was determined by measuring the speed my brain communicated with the VR headset. As for his interest in picking Sinon, I had to assume it was a result of witnessing her fast adaptation to ALO. She adjusted to a different avatar and mastered using a bow within days. She seemed like a veteran archer even though it had been about five months since she started playing.

"Why didn't you ask Asuna to work with Kirito? From what you've stated, you're seeking people who have been in VR's for a long time. Asuna would fit the criteria perfectly," my bespectacled friend analyzed.

Kikuoka let out a nervous laugh and circled his cheek with one of his fingers.

"I considered that, but unfortunately, I'm a little afraid of Asuna-san. Ever since the Gun Gale Online incident, she's been keeping quite the careful watch over me. On that topic, I thought your help in solving the Death Gun mystery was commendable. I believe having the winner of the BoB and arguably the best archer in ALO would help when it comes to testing military-type environments."

Sinon, who wasn't expecting to be complimented in such a way, had a slight tinge of red in her cheeks.

"Thank you. I would be glad to accept your offer," Sinon managed to let out.

Now that Sinon committed, I had no reason to decline the offer.

"Then I guess I'll just reaffirm my willingness to go along as well," I restated.

"Excellent, however, there is one more thing about your job that I forgot to mention. I personally believe this addition would benefit the both of you, especially you Kirito-kun," Kikuoka hinted while giving me a teasing smile as he flexed one of his arms.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, wondering what his gesture could possibly reference.

"I mentioned that one of the project's aims was to be able to perfectly recreate your true physical abilities in a virtual environment. Part of what you two will be required to do is follow an exercise regimen. To achieve the project's goals we're developing a program to successfully update a user's physical capabilities based on that user's workouts. You could compare this to increasing your stats in-game and gradually feeling that it is easier to use a heavier weapon."

An exercise regimen? The last time I did any real physical activity of note was when I was rehabilitating my body after the events of SAO had bedridden me for two years. I occasionally sparred with my sister to help her with kendo, but my body's condition is what is expected of the stereotypical skinny male who avidly plays video games.

"Eh, exercising?" started Sinon beside me, "I was actually thinking about exercising for myself so this will be a good opportunity, but I'm not too sure about how this thin looking guy will manage. He hasn't even touched his drink. I doubt he gets enough energy to exercise."

My black-haired friend laid out some cruel words as she took a portion of the whipped cream off my latte and licked it off her finger. I tended to forget to eat when doing my homework and playing games, but I never thought I actually gave off the appearance of a physically weak person.

"I was just absorbed by Kikouka's talk. Also, gladly take this in exchange for my cream," I said as took one of the strawberries off Sinon's cake with my fork and stuck it inside my mouth.

"Oi! If you really were hungry, you should just finish your own food!" Sinon retaliated.

"I should say the same to you then," I countered as a I flashed a smirk.

Kikuoka coughed a few times to disrupt our little bicker and continued.

"I'm glad that you two seem to get along very well, but can I assume that you're both fine with exercising along with participating as testers?"

I didn't see anything wrong with exercising either. If I can help contribute to the advancement of VR technology, I'll gladly do some physical training. Getting out and exercising was something I needed to do anyway. Not to mention, Suguha would probably be happy if I did. I turned my head to Sinon who nodded, affirming her answer.

"We'll do it." we both replied.

Kikuoka gave us an ominous smile, but I dismissed my concerns as he told us our pay. Even Sinon sat agape at the amount of money we would make on the job. Individually, each of us would make enough money to buy a new top-end computer along with the latest peripherals during our expected term of employment.

"If both of you have enough time, I'd like to take you to the testing facility so you can get acquainted with everything," said Kikuoka.

Sinon and I both said we had nothing planned and we exited the restaurant along with Kikuoka who called a personal cab to drive us to the facility. I decided to follow on my bike while Sinon rode with Kikuoka in the car. The trip took about twenty minutes as we traversed through Tokyo, stopping at a rather modest building in the Bunkyō district. Upon arrival, I parked my motorbike and Kikuoka guided us, leading us into the building.

"Wow, the inside is really nice. It's like the main lobby to a hospital," Sinon commented, taking note of the plain, clean walls and interior of the well spaced room.

There was a large counter in the middle of the lobby with a receptionist to boot. The female behind the counter could have been no older than thirty.

"Seijirō-san, we've been expecting you," the receptionist started. She looked at Sinon and me, proceeding to give Kikuoka a smile.

"I assume that these two are Kirigaya-kun and Asada-san?"

"That's correct. Pleased to meet you," Sinon greeted while giving a bow.

"Likewise." I responded, doing the same.

"We're both glad you're here to work with us," the receptionist said in turn. She reached under the counter and took two ID cards out, presenting them to Sinon and me. Kikuoka was the one to explain their use.

"These will be your ID cards. You'll need them with you at all times whenever you're at this facility. Naturally, these are being used for security purposes as this project contains very sensitive research. You'll use them in addition to the fingerprint and eye scanners that we have. Make sure not to lose them because we don't have many spares."

I felt overwhelmed by the type of care and security that was put into such a project, but I could understand the precautions that were being taken to make sure their research and developments weren't stolen. I had to wonder though, just how well-funded was this project? The funding had to be substantial, just judging from the pay that Sinon and I would receive.

We said farewell to the receptionist lady as Kikuoka led us to a door adorned with the scanners he mentioned earlier. He cleared through the checks and as the three of us walked through the door, the system recognized our ID cards and called out our names.

"It really does feel like we're members of a top-secret project team," Sinon said. There was no doubt about that. It was a feeling akin to being in the world of a sci-fi movie. Knowing that I was about to help with the development of new VR technology was an exciting feeling. One that was heightened after entering the building where all of it would take place.

"Well, here we are," Kikuoka announced, extending out his hands. "This is where most of the development and testing takes place."

We were led into a very large room accompanied by many computers, desks, and people dressed in casual attire. Off to our right were weight scales and other body measurement equipment that would probably be used to integrate our real body information into the virtual world. There were many doors along the far side of the room behind a sign labeled as "Testing Rooms." That was where the modified Amuspheres were stationed.

One of project team members noticed that the three of us walked in and approached Kikuoka, shaking his hand.

"Seijirō, I'm glad to see you actually got these two to work for us," the middle-aged man grinned. He was no more than ten centimeters taller than me, but the overall difference in our sizes was greater than expected due to his large frame. His short brown beard and slight stubble gave me the impression of a friendly, but serious man.

"Yes, I'm quite proud to have convinced both the winner of the BoB and the Liberator of SAO to help us on this project."

"No, it was more the scope of the project in general that we both opted to take the job. This guy's persuasiveness had nothing to do with it," I responded.

Sinon let out a slight laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Don't be like that Kirito-kun!" Kikuoka fakely cried out.

"I see you both are on rather friendly terms," the worker said. "I should introduce myself. My name is Kiryu Fujiwara, the director of this project. You may call me Fujiwara."

I didn't know the director would come out and personally greet us. I felt grateful to be acknowledged by someone who had a huge role in working in the field of virtual reality, a field I aspired to make a career out of.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Asada Shino." Sinon was the first to respond.

"And I'm Kazuto Kirigaya, it's an honor to meet you," I said in turn.

Fujiwara gave both of us a good look and smiled.

"It's good to have you both here with us. I must say, you two look great as a couple," the director mistakenly replied.

Kikuoka choked up a laugh while Sinon and I both blushed and waved our hands out in denial. The director must have confused Sinon with Asuna. A thought did slip past my mind though. Did Sinon and I really seem like a couple?

"No, no, no! Fujiwara-sensei, Kirito-kun's girlfriend is Asuna-san. Asada-san is a friend," Kikuoka hastily replied.

The director laughed at his confusion and Sinon and I cleared up the understanding after explaining that Asuna was my partner and wife in SAO while Sinon helped me in GGO.

"I see, that was my mistake. However, Kirigaya-kun, you sound as if you are very popular with the girls."

"Ah, is that so?" I responded nervously, being careful with my words because Sinon was here. Sinon would often use my words against me when she tried to turn the girls in our group against me.

"Sometimes, I feel as if he's not aware of the tension between the many girls surrounding him," Sinon commented.

I wasn't so completely clueless that I was unaware of the feelings of the girls around me, but I did my best to keep them all happy while staying faithful to Asuna.

"I just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings," I declared.

"A good answer! A considerate man, but you need to be more decisive than that," the director replied, patting my shoulder. "All right, both of you probably want the run-down on what you'll be doing here. Kikuoka, I'll take it from here so you can get back to your office. I heard you've been getting quite the workload in addition to working alongside us."

"Will do. Thank you very much, Fujiwara-sensei. Kirito-kun and Asada-san, I'll see both of you another time." The government worker exited the room and the director gave us a tour of the inner building while explaining our jobs.

First we went over to the far side of the room with the measuring equipment. Along with the standard height and weight, our whole bodies were assessed in order to create a true copy of our body in a virtual environment, similar to how SAO integrated actual appearance after it became a death game. A measurement not usually taken into account in games which was being taken was our physical stamina and strength.

Sinon and I were required to do a series of physical tests in a separate wing of the building that was almost as big as a school gym. Among the activities were sprints, weight-lifting, along with vertical and long-distance jumping. I was surprised at how Sinon outclassed me physically with the exception of my natural strength surpassing hers. I couldn't keep up with her running and she topped all my jumps by several centimeters.

"Geez, I didn't think you would be this much better than me at this. I'm impressed, Sinon," I admitted while breathing heavily, just finishing one of our sprints.

The director left us with the physical instructors in the gym as he went back into his office while we did our examinations and tests. I took two of the small towels that were hung on a rack by us and handed one to Sinon who wiped off the sweat from her forehead.

"I have to be able to do at least this much. You'd be surprised to know that I'm actually one of the top performers during the gym classes at my school," Sinon replied with a dash of pride. She did a cute little wink to which I slightly blushed, finally noticing she wasn't wearing her glasses.

"Isn't it difficult for you to do some of these tests without your glasses?" I questioned.

"Oh, I don't actually need to wear these," she started, taking them out of her pocket and showing them to me. "If you look closely you'll notice that there's no prescription. I wear them because they're made of bulletproof glass."

Worried that I might have brought up a difficult subject due to her history with guns, I tensed up.

"Oh," I weakly replied.

Perhaps noticing my cautious demeanor, Sinon responded by waving off any need to worry.

"It's not that I'm still scared. I'm just used to wearing these glasses now," she paused for second while in thought, bringing her index finger to her lips

"Hey Kirito, do you think I look better without glasses?" she asked while tilting her head.

That was a difficult question to answer considering that Asuna was my girlfriend, but there should have been no problem with stating what I honestly felt. But I did have to make sure I answered in a way that could not be misinterpreted.

"I think that you're attractive with or without glasses, but the Sinon that I'm used to seeing is the one who doesn't wear glasses. So, I would have to say I prefer you without them."

Sinon gave me an odd look, but formed a little smile before saying, "Noted. And by the way, Kirito. Your compliments are terrible."

Ouch.

We finished our tests and went into the director's office to tell him we were done with our examinations. His room appeared to be rather ordinary after seeing the standard desk, computer, and many papers and folders stacked in front of him as he sat on his leather chair.

"Excellent, both of you should look forward to how we integrate your body and abilities into our simulated virtual environment. Unfortunately, that'll take some time and you won't be able to go into a true Full Dive today," the director admitted.

I felt a slight disappointment, but his argument was reasonable. I wondered how complicated it was to program an avatar that had the true physical capabilities of its user along with real-life physics for a simulated virtual environment.

"Well, that's certainly understandable. When are we expected to come back to work on testing?" I asked.

"Ah," started Fujiwara, grabbing two folders and sliding them to the edge of the desk toward us. "Your schedules for coming here are printed in here, along with the details of your pay. The exercises that we'll request you to do will be decided on your next day here. We'll be making your regimen based on both of your results. But rest assured, we won't push you too hard." The director ended his explanation with a huge smile.

After we took and examined our identical schedules, Sinon, who seemed anxious, asked the director a question.

"Since some of this project is focused on simulated training for the defense forces, does that mean we'll be working with people involved in the police department and army?"

I thought this was a strange question for Sinon to ask, but her question did intrigue me. If people from the defense force were closely involved, then perhaps there was more to the project than just simulated training and creating a true Full Dive system. There had been rumors floating around the web about first-world country militaries developing advanced AI based on data compiled from virtual reality games.

The director teased a smile and answered the question in turn.

"I won't abruptly confirm it since I want you to be surprised, but you should look forward to your first real day on the job."

In response, Sinon's lips curled upward, her mood undoubtedly lifted to high spirits. Noticing Sinon's innocent smile, Fujiwara nodded while tapping his finger on his desk, and switched to a frown as he looked at the paperwork on his desk.

"Unfortunately, I have to get back to work, but you two are free to leave for the day. I look forward to working with both of you," the director ended.

Sinon and I said our farewells and left the director's office, walking through the central computer room and heading towards the door to the lobby.

"Well, Kirito, are you excited to come back here in two days?" Sinon asked.

She didn't even need to ask, the expression on my face showed it all as I glanced at the equipment in the room as we prepared to leave the building.

"Of course—"

"Kirito?" a low-pitched voice rang out from behind us. Hearing footsteps approach us from behind, Sinon and I turned around to see a male who looked no older than two years above me. He was about eight centimeters taller than me and had brown unkempt hair with sideswept bangs that covered the left side of his face. His exterior was slim, but certainly more fit than mine.

"Are you really Kirito? «The Black Swordsman» from SAO?"

So it appeared that there really were other former SAO players that were hired as testers.

"Do you know this guy?" Sinon quietly whispered into my ear.

"Maybe," I replied back softly, unsure if I knew him from SAO. A small part of me said to exercise caution in revealing my identity because one of Death Gun's accomplices was still loose, but there was no way that he could be Johnny Black as Kikuoka showed us a picture of him so Sinon and I would be able to recognize him if we were ever suspect.

"Hi there," I greeted to the male, "I am the Kirito from SAO, but my real name is Kazuto Kirigaya. You can call me whichever name you'd like. Am I right to say that you were a former SAO player too?" I asked.

"Yeah, I wasn't in the front lines, so we never actually met, but I did catch glimpses of you from time to time," he made a slight pause deciding on what to address me by, "Kazuto-san. Oh, silly of me to not introduce myself. It's nice to meet you both. I'm Tanaka Kimura, Taka in SAO. You can just call me Tanaka. It looks like we'll be working together," the former SAO player ended, looking at Sinon as to not leave her out of the conversation.

"Nice to meet you as well, my name is Shino Asada. Asada is fine," Sinon said in turn.

"Oh, are you Kazuto-san's girlfriend?" observed Tanaka. I questioned why people seemed to assume that Sinon and were a couple. The fact that yet another person misunderstood our relationship caused me to be a little hot in the cheeks.

"No, he already has a loving girlfriend in Asuna," Sinon calmly answered, despite somewhat flinching at Tanaka's earlier words.

"You must mean Asuna the Flash! So you two really did hook up," he concluded, addressing me.

"Yeah, that's right," I responded while a little flustered.

"I think that's great, two of the top SAO players becoming a couple," said Tanaka. "But Shino Asada was it? The name sounds familiar. . . Oh!" Tanaka struck downward with his right fist onto his left palm in a realization.

"Would you happen to be the 'Sinon' who won the third Bullet of Bullets alongside Kirito? I think your name and appearance somewhat resembles her."

Sinon's eyes along with mine, widened in surprise at his observation.

"Yes, actually. That's pretty impressive of you to notice," Sinon admitted.

I, along with Sinon, was amazed at Tanaka's perceptive skills, but I had to wonder.

"How did you know that I was the same Kirito from Gun Gale Online? I had a pretty. . . feminine appearance in that game," I ended slightly embarrassed. GGO had a randomized avatar system which gave me a very feminine avatar with long black hair, creating many misunderstandings about my gender in the game.

"I watched the Bullet of Bullets live stream with some of my friends from SAO and one of them recognized your name along with your style of sword-wielding. He used to be on the front lines," he explained.

"I was hoping that no one would recognize me, but it looks like some people drew the connection anyway," I sulked.

"Maybe you should have paid for a name change if you worried that much," commented Sinon.

"Then I would have had to pay to change it back after converting back to ALO. Besides, the randomly generated avatars are just unfair," I answered back, remembering the awkward situation when someone wanted buy my avatar. Tanaka let out a slight laugh and continued.

"Despite not being a couple, you two really do seem close. I guess that explains what happened when you hugged each other in that cave. That guy who called himself Death Gun probably made you guys pretty tense; the guy was pretty dramatic, but scary to look at."

I recalled the moment the camera which recorded the live stream viewing of the Bullet of Bullets appeared; Sinon and I were in the cave. At the time, I was holding Sinon who was in front of me with my hands, trying to comfort her after we discovered her real-life body was in mortal danger.

Sinon and I both became flustered at the mention of us embracing each other in the cave during the Bullet of Bullets. Both of us tried to lightly laugh the situation off, which dispensed into an awkward silence. Tanaka made a questioning look, probably wondering if he struck a nerve.

"Yeah, but we managed to win," Sinon managed to say, moving the conversation to a different point.

"That's true," Tanaka said, "it was a very impressive display of both gun and swordplay. Speaking of which, Kazuto-san, will you be competing in the next dueling tournament in ALO?"

It appeared that Tanaka also played ALO. I wasn't too surprised at the fact because many former SAO players who weren't turned off by the events of the death game moved to ALO when Aincrad was implemented.

"I will be entering as always. Sinon is also planning to enter the tournament," I mentioned.

"Is that so? I look forward to seeing it. Unfortunately, I don't have enough confidence in my own abilities to enter myself, but I love watching competition between other players," Tanaka said, ending with an excited expression.

Whatever sense of caution I had when first meeting Tanaka disappeared. He seemed to be a very polite and energetic person. Being able to meet and see how other former SAO players were faring relieved me. Seeing him happy to talk about gaming and participating in the project testing made me glad that I put my life on the line to end SAO.

"Tanaka-kun? We'll need you to report to physical testing now," a voice called out.

In response, Tanaka decided to end our little chat.

"Sorry, guys. It looks like I have to take my leave. If I ever see one of you in ALO I'll say hello. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun working together!" Tanaka ended, waving at us as he headed to the gym section of the project facility.

Sinon and I answered with our farewells and continued into the lobby to check out of the facility. We exited the building and went towards where I parked my motorbike.

"He seemed like a nice guy." Sinon noted. "I was surprised that he recognized us though."

I handed Sinon my spare helmet and got onto my bike after putting on mine.

"His perception certainly caught me off guard. I could see him recognizing me since he saw me in SAO, but to connect me to you through the Bullet of Bullets; that's impressive," I concluded.

Sinon nodded and then climbed onto the bike behind me.

"I could do without him pairing us together as a couple though. It must be tough for Asuna to see you surrounded by girls all the time." Sinon sighed as she placed her hands onto my waist to keep herself steady while on the bike. Due to her suggestive words, I shivered slightly when her hands came into contact with my body.

"Something wrong?" Sinon questioned, almost in a teasing manner.

"A-Absolutely nothing," I replied in haste. "Let's get you back home."

I ended my recollection of our first day at the facility as I spotted Sinon coming out of the station. She noticed me waving my hand towards her and ran over to where I parked my motorbike.

"Good morning, Sinon," I greeted.

"Hey, Kirito," she let out unenergetically. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, apparently still tired from waking up early. That was when I noticed. . .

"Hey, you're not wearing your glasses."

"Huh? Oh," Sinon realized as she raised her hand to touch her frames which weren't there. "I guess I forgot to put them on when I woke up. It's not like I need them though."

I laughed in response to her revelation.

"You look cute when you're sleepy and clueless," I teased.

_Thunk._

Sinon flicked me in the forehead.

"Ouch!" I yelled out, placing my hand on the area of impact.

"Heheh, I'm awake and aware now," Sinon winked.

"Glad to hear it. Are you ready to go?" I responded, deciding to get back on track.

"It'll be my first time at your house, so I'm looking forward to it," Sinon said.

I had been seeing Sinon a lot lately so I didn't even realize that she had never visited my house before. I made sure to clean the dojo yesterday but failed to take note of that small detail.

"Well, the house is nothing special, but you'll probably enjoy the dojo. Sugu will also be there to watch us exercise together in order to see our progress.

"That sounds just like your sister," Sinon smiled.

"Yeah, she's also looking forward to teaching you about kendo," I mentioned.

"We shouldn't keep her waiting then," Sinon said, definitely excited to see the place.

"Then let's get going," I smiled.

I grabbed the spare helmet that Sinon always used almost as if it were second nature and tossed it to her. She caught the headwear with one hand and put it on effortlessly, a noticeable difference from when she first rode with me and struggled to place it on her head properly.

Once more, she grabbed onto my waist as we got onto my bike, an act that felt very natural.

"When we get there, I'll have Suguha-san teach me kendo and then challenge you to a match," Sinon expressed in excitement. I, who craved competition, was willing to answer to it.

"You're on!" I acknowledged, revving my bike and driving off with Sinon as we headed towards my residence.

* * *

><p><strong>Ending Note<strong>

And that's the end of Chapter 3 - Project Simulation. I hope you liked the idea of advancing the use of Virtual Technology in the universe of Sword Art Online. For readers who have read up to the Alicization Arc, I intend to use Project Simulation as a stepping stone to the Soul Translator in terms of the realism that Virtual Reality can hold. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the two new characters, Fujiwara-sensei and Tanaka. Look forward to seeing them throughout the story, perhaps in more ways than you'll expect.

The next chapter will also take place in the real world, covering Sinon's visit at the Kirigaya home. Please look forward to it and I'll try to get it out sooner than this one was released. I won't make any guarantees though. The new World of Warcraft expansion comes out in a few hours for me and I have a lot of friends who I play with. Not to mention, my highly anticipated Dragon Age: Inquisition releases Tuesday, followed by Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby three days after that. Is anyone else looking forward to those games?

Again, I intend to see this story to the end, so even if I become distracted for a little bit, I won't forget what I set out to finish. As always, feel free to leave a review and provide feedback of what you think of the story. I'll try to make necessary improvements to the narrative based on any constructive criticism.


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